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This Article is From May 05, 2010

Victims not keen to testify against sex swami Nitayananda

Bangalore:
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The Karnataka CID has said that one of the victims in the Nityananada case was "in touch" with police and efforts were on to convince the person to give a statement.

"One victim is in touch with us", DIG CID Charan Reddy told reporters in Bangalore on Wednesday, but refused to divulge details.

He said no one, except this victim, has come forward so far to record a formal statement and be questioned by the Investigating Officer in the case.

Reddy said the victim was apprehensive of media exposure and urged them to be sensitive towards such matters.

He said Nityananda had not denied having entered into reported non disclosure agreements with his devotees, relating to "learning and practice of tantric secrets", exposure to nudity and "close physical proximity and intimacy".

However, such an agreement could not perhaps help him. "There can be no enforced contract on illegal activities. But we will consult experts on the contract".

He said the Tamil actress reportedly seen in a compromising position with the godman in a video clipping, has not yet presented herself for examination in response to notices sent to her. Notices had been sent to her through her advocates.

The advocates of the actress have denied that she was seen in the video.

Asked if Nityananda would be put through a potency test, he said a decision would be taken after the victims give a statement. He was evasive on whether Nityananda had requested for any such test, stating a request by the accused did not hold much significance.

To a query on whether the gender of the accused made any difference to the case, he said the usual line of investigation in a sexual assault case was to check whether the assault actually took place and then to examine if the accused was capable of committing it.

Reddy said they have received the interim report of CDs seized at the godman's ashram at Bidadi, sent to the Forensic Sciences Lab for examination, but refused to share details, saying it was crucial to investigation.

He said police are currently not looking at sending a team abroad to visit Nityananda's ashrams. "We do not need to visit the ashrams now, but are willing to record the statement of any witness when they visit India", he said.

Police have already shared details with central agencies on financial transactions carried out by Nityananda, he said.

The self-styled godman landed in a controversy in March after TV channels telecast purported video footage showing him in a compromising position with a Tamil actress. He was arrested at Solan in Himachal Pradesh on April 21, ending his more than a month-long elusive run.

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